Fury as MPs clocked off early on greater than 50 days during the last six months

MPs clocked off early on more than 50 days over the last six months, the Mail can reveal.

Sparking accusations that Labour is presiding over a ‘zombie’ Parliament, the Commons has wasted an entire working week by finishing early.

In total, the chamber rose before its scheduled finish time on 54 occasions since September – missing a combined 39 hours of parliamentary time.

Last night Tory MPs said the Mail’s analysis suggested the Government had run out of energy ‘in record time’.

Labour was elected on a mandate for ‘change’, and Sir Keir Starmer insisted on the eve of polling day last July that he was ‘ready for government’.

The Prime Minister said his team had been ‘preparing hard’ so they could ‘hit the ground running on day one’.

But hours of parliamentary time are now being wasted every week – with critics saying the Commons is ‘often sitting shorter hours than a typical secondary school’.

The House usually sits from 2.30pm to 10.30pm on a Monday, from 11.30am to 7.30pm on a Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 9.30am to 5.30pm on a Thursday.

It occasionally sits on a Friday, when business starts at 9.30am and runs until 3pm.

But on several occasions over the past six months, the Commons adjourned hours early – including last Tuesday [February 11], when the House rose at 4.41pm.

On others, it only rose a minute before the scheduled finish time – and it occasionally sat later than planned.

Some Labour sources point the finger at Sue Gray, the ousted chief of staff, who they claim failed to fully prepare a legislative agenda before entering government.

But others are critical of Lucy Powell, the Commons Leader, who is in charge of organising government business in the Commons for not packing the parliamentary timetable.

Last night the Government insisted it had ‘outlined the most ambitious legislative programme for any new government in history’.

But Tory justice spokesman Robert Jenrick told the Mail: ‘Never before has such a fresh Government looked so tired. We already have a zombie Government.

‘Starmer pretended at the election that Labour had a plan for office. He’s wasted his first 6 months and now he’s scratching his head while the problems facing the country pile high.

‘Backbench Labour MPs want a four day week and it appears this Government wants a part-time Parliament. No wonder this country has a productivity crisis.’

Tory former cabinet minister Esther McVey added: ‘This Labour government is out of touch, out of ideas and out of energy in record time.

‘Breaking a series of election promises and letting down pensioners, farmers and businesses with their rotten budget has left the morale of Labour MPs at rock bottom.

‘I suspect the reason why business in the House of Commons is collapsing early is a deliberate tactic to keep Labour MPs away from Parliament to stop them plotting to remove Starmer.

‘But if they don’t manage to remove him, the voters will when they get the chance.’

Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty said it was ‘ridiculous’ that Parliament is ‘often sitting shorter hours than a typical secondary school’.

‘It seems incredible that Labour can’t fill the parliamentary schedule when important topics are either ignored or scarcely allocated any time for debate.

‘Hours of valuable parliamentary time are being wasted every week. It is hugely frustrating, and just shows how wafer-thin Labour’s legislative programme is.’

And Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘It’s clear as day that ministers have no answers to the nation’s problems, given how regularly our lawmakers are clocking off early…

‘Taxpayers expect MPs to be dealing with the nation’s problems, not shirking their responsibilities.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘This characterisation is totally false. We have outlined the most ambitious legislative programme for any new government in history to deliver the Plan for Change – with Parliament currently debating important legislation, including the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, Great British Energy Bill, Renters’ Rights Bill.

‘On Thursday, the Modernisation Committee set out its early work to make Parliament more effective and ensure the Commons remains the crucible of national debate.’